If you were to ask me the most difficult subject to capture, it is dogs. Hands down, no question about it, and 1000% more than kids. Likely if you have even tried to get your pooch to sit still, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Having photographed thousands of dogs over more than a dozen years, I have learned some valuable tips that might help you out.

1. Patience- Seems like an obvious answer, doesn’t it:-). Patience is a practiced skill, so don’t beat yourself up if you don’t automatically have it. If your dog has a lot of energy, it’s generally a good idea to take it for a long play session before your photo shoot. I have heard 100 times that “my dog is great inside my home and lets me take pictures”, but that’s every day boring for your dog. If you are going somewhere new, remember that your dog's excitement level is likely going to be through the roof, so be patient.

2. Work WITH the dog, not against it. Most of the time when I meet a dog, it’s super excited, and going 100 miles an hour. I use this energy to my advantage and take fun, action shots first. If I am outdoors, I simply ask the owner to go around 100 feet away from me with a ball, and throw the ball right towards me. I lay on the ground, photographing the dog running towards me. These photos are always amazing because of the perspective. Try it out, but it does take a lot of practice. If no owner is present, I simply throw the ball myself, and generally the dog will fetch the ball and run back to me.

3. Get on the dog's level. I do this in every single dog photo shoot. Yes, it can be wet, muddy, sandy, on the Eastern shore of Delaware,, but I plan ahead and wear old clothes. Dogs can relate to you if they see you at eye-level, period. Dogs jump because they want to be closer to your face to show you affection. If you are not comfortable sitting on your behind, sitting on your knees also works. Dogs will oftentimes want to lick you, but eventually may roll over and show their belly, which is good. Alternatively, use a picnic table, chair, bench, or something else to get you and the dog closer to eye level.

4. Close-up shots. Once a dog has calmed down either from physical, or mental exhaustion, this is when I will take my close-up smiling photos. A tired dog is more cooperative, and it is more likely to give me tongue-out photos, and more expressive photos. 

5. Treats in left hand, camera in right hand. Nothing will turn your camera (or smartphone) into a disgusting mess than touching it with the same hand that you use for treats, trust me! I generally wear cargo style pants to keep treats in, or a treat pouch. It can be a process to teach the dog to sit and wait for a treat, but I always reward a dog for sitting. Dogs are smart, and they get this after a while, but this does involve a LOT of patience. This takes practice, practice, practice. With practice, you should see an improvement in your photographs, and more importantly, a better bond between you and your pet:-)

#delawarepetphotographer #petphotographer #joshfeeneyphotography